Monday, April 25, 2011

A Turn in the Road, by Debbie Macomber--Review

Harlequin/Mira Books, ISBN 9780778329831, April 2011

It's been six years since Bethanne Hamlin's husband Grant divorced her to marry the younger, prettier, very ambitious Tiffany. To support herself and keep her two children in the house they'd grown up in, Bethanne started a party-planning business called Parties, and is now a successful businesswoman in her own right. When she learns that Grant, with his brief marriage to Tiffany long over, wants a reconciliation, she's thrown into turmoil.

Bethanne is still close to her ex-mother-in-law, Ruth, and when she learns Ruth is planning to drive cross-country from Seattle to Florida to attend her high school reunion, and is facing opposition from Grant and his sister Robin, she decides to join Ruth, and use the three weeks away from home (they will rent a car and fly back from Florida) to think over her relationship with Grant and what she wants for the future. When Bethanne's daughter Annie has a painful breakup with her boyfriend and decides to join them, the three women set off to see America.

Along the way, we learn that Ruth, also, has "man trouble." She's been a widow for several years, and has been thinking more and more about her high school sweetheart, whom she dumped in a painful manner almost fifty years ago. He's widowed too, and will be at the reunion...

The three women quickly abandon Ruth's carefully planned route with easy stages in favor of side trips and adventure. They work for a day in a diner run by an old friend of Ruth's, have their car break down, are rescued by a group of bikers, and spend a few days in Vegas--where Annie meets a cute new guy, and Bethanne finds herself attracted to Max, one of the bikers who rescued them. It's a development Ruth finds shocking and outrageous until she spends a lovely day with Max's friend, Rooster.

They all have a lot to learn about each other and themselves, Americana to see, and big decisions to make about their lives. This is a fun, warm, emotionally satisfying read.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

About Me

I'm a librarian, blogger, dog lover, cat lover, science fiction fan, student of history, and enthusiast of facts and information of all kinds. I love tracking down the answers to odd questions, and connecting people with the information they need. My professional background includes law firms, a biotechnology R&D company, and academic and public libraries.

I also create and deliver presentations to educate users on better use of the web, electronic resources, and some of the tools available to us at our fingertips to make our lives more organized and effective.